Equipment Abstraction

[jayz806]

Good morning. I've been looking over the forums, and haven't seen a clear answer from devs or others that addresses how unit equipment is abstracted.

At the risk of setting off the 40w is good/bad bomb, I try to set up (generally) historical divisions using the designer. However, different types of equipment don't seem to be abstracted at all in some cases, while other types of equipment are greatly reduced from actual numbers. Infantry equipment is obviously much lower than what an actual battalion would need. An artillery battalion in game has enough tubes (36) to serve as a full regiment in most countries...while an AT battalion is closer to a 1 to 1 ratio. Tanks seem to be a 1 to 1 ratio with reality, while trucks/mechanized seem low.

So if I go purely by battalion count, my German infantry division is closer to 40w. If I go by gun tubes, that reduces the size closer to 27-29. I am all for packing extra guns in a division and calling it a corps artillery unit...or just building optimally if playing mp (thanks reman). However, if I go 40w in armor/panzers I have 500+ tanks in one division? For sp that can be odd.

Has there been any clear guidance/Secret Master level analysis on what is and what isn't abstracted in a division's equipment? Thanks!

 

[balmung60]

Infantry equipment is bundles of ten, hence 100 infantry equipment for 1000 men

 

[Leinad965]

Artillery count is probably not right per division, but per army looks right. Some mods are trying to fix it, but they accidentally breaks whole army to unrealistically low production.
Infantry equipment is "some amount of some equipment for soldiers", not rifle, so hard to measure it.

 

[jayz806]

Infantry equipment is bundles of ten, hence 100 infantry equipment for 1000 men

Understand, but does that level of abstraction cover other types of equipment...trucks, tanks, artillery?

 

[Zauberelefant]

It's a mess. I count battalions, as this seems somewhat consistent.
Tanks are oddly enough "historical" in equipment count, but then I too end up with close to 40w infantry and 27w Panzers...

 

[balmung60]

Understand, but does that level of abstraction cover other types of equipment...trucks, tanks, artillery?

Not really. As far as I know, other items are supposed to be 1:1. I believe it's specifically been asked about planes and they're definitely 1:1, and obviously so are non-convoy ships

 

[BeauNiddle]

When they first did Dev diaries on production, way back before they released, they did talk about the production being both the base unit & it's supplies. So you weren't just building a tank, you were building a tank & all the ammo it would use over it's lifetime [+fuel back in those days]. That abstraction still stands.

When your unit loses 6 artillery pieces in combat or from attrition it's not necessarily the actual gun barrels broke but rather they used '1 units worth' of spare parts, or used up '1 units worth' of ammunition in combat, etc.

When your stockpiles get used up you're not necessarily using older tanks on the front lines but you are using older, less capable, shells & spare parts thus lowering the stats of your unit.

But other than that everything in the game is pretty much a 1:1 usage with the aforementioned exception of infantry kits (which are 1 per squad) and, maybe convoys & transport planes.

 

[Androbey]

There are many inconsistences in this game.
Just looking at USA Division Designer, 1 Artillery Btn.? needs 36 Artillery regardless of version. This has an estimated production cost of 126.
A Motorized Artillery Battalion was the same size in tubes, but added 50 motorized "trucks'. Cost: 251.

This "Battalion" would be the equivalent of an actual 3 battalions of FA.